Slicing-machine knife guard



A. M. QUINTON.

SLICING MACHINE KNIFE GUARD. APPLICATION FILED NOV. 4,-1921.

Patented Jan. 10, 1922.

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fltb'o rngy res ARTHUR M. QUINTON, OF

BOSTON. MASSACHUSETTS.

SLICING-MAGI-IINE KNIFE GUARD.

1 f-(iZfiiiE).

Application filed November To all whomz't may concern,

Be it known that I, ARTHUR M. QUINTON, a citizen of the United States, residing at Boston, in the county of Suffolk and State of'Massachusetts, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Slicing-Machine Knife Guards, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to machines for slicing meat or other articles, of the type employing a slicing knife in the form of a revolving disc provided with a peripheral cutting edge; and more particularly it re lates to a guard for protecting said cutting edge for the avoidance of accidental injury to the machine operator or others.

While the application of a guard to the knife of a slicing machine is not noveh'the said guards, so far as hitherto known to me, ha e been made of a definite and fixed length,

fand have been arran 'ed to protect-0111 that it! i portion of the circumference of the rotat ing knife which is not at any time utilized in the cutting process. The portion of the knife periphery by which the cutting is pen formed has hitherto remained ex 'iosed at all times, and unprotected bythe guards of the prior types, when the machine is inoperative or idle; and by reason of the lack of protection such exposed peripheral portion is at all times a menace of accidental injury to the operator and to others.

The object of my invention is. therefore, to devise and produce a guard for slicing ina chine knives ofthc type described, which not only serves to afford atv all times a protection for the inoperative portion .ofthe periphery of the cutter. but which also embodies a construction. providing means where by an easily manipulated guard for the cutting portion of said knife periphery may be temporarily supplied atvsuch times as the machine isnot performing its cutting functions.

To the attainment of this end and the accomplishment of the object above described, my invention consists in the novel construction andqarrangement of the several parts hereinafter morezfully described and claimed; and as shown in the drawings accompanying this specification and illustrating this .my inventioninthe said drawings:

*ig. 1 is a View in side elevation of a guard embodying my invention showing the parts thereof as arranged when the machine Specification of Letters Patent.

' thereof:

Patented Jan. 10. 1922.

4, 1921. Serial No. 512,737.

s operating and affording protection for the inoperative portion only of the knife periphery.

Fig. 2 is a. View in rear elevation of the knife guard and support shown in Fig. 1.

F 8 is a view similar to that of Fig. 1, showing the guard arranged to proteht a larger portion of the knife edge periphery; as when the machine is-idle.

Fig. 1 is a sectional view on an enlarged scale, taken in the line 4.& in Fig. 3.

Referring more particularly to the drawings the numeral 10 designates the revolving knife or cutter, in the form of a circular metal disc having its periphery beveled to a cutting edge. Said knife 10 is arranged to rotate upon an axial shaft 11, which is mounted in suitable bearings and connected with appropriate means for causing the rotation of said shaftll'and knife 10 at the desired speed. The latter features are well known in the art, and are therefore not shown in the drawings neither is it deemed necessary to detail the further description of the same, nor of the other features of the cuttin machine in fuller particularity.

On the frame of the imachine, of which only a small portion is indicated at 12, is carried a guide support 13; to which sup port is attached.,as by cap screws 14:, the outer portion 15 of the knife guard; suitable bosses secured upon the side of said outer portion near its extremities providing threaded ponings within which said cap screws engage.

Said outer knife guard portion is preferably formed from tubing curved in an arc corresponding with the curvature of the peripherical edge of the cutting knife; which edge is adapted to enter within the interior of said guard through a. slot extending longitudinally of the said outer guard portion along its inner edge, all as more clearly appears in Figxi. r

Said guard portion-l5 is so located and is of such a. length, that it encloses and protects the inoperative part of the slicing knife; which is assumed in Figsl and 3 to comprise essentially the right hand portion -Within the said outer portion 15 of said 1 guard is enclosed and supported an inner or tion. The tubing of which the outer and inner guide portions are constructed are of such relative sizes that the inner portion fits within the outer portion" with a close but.

easily sliding fit, so that the two portions readily telescope together; the inner portion within the outer. I

The inner edge of saidinner guide portion 17 is slotted for its entire length; such slot being in substantial registration with the slot formed in the outer portion, and both being adapted to permit the peripheral edge of the cutting knife to enter within both said guide portions, all as is more clearly.

shown in Fig. 4:.

The outer ed 'e of said outer Quards )ortion is also provided with the slot 18, ex

location of said threaded block 20 are all so correlated that, at one end of the range of travel of the clamp screw the inner guard portion 17 is fully telescoped withthe outer portion 15, as it appears in Fig. 1, and the operating portion of the peripheral edge of the cutter is exposed for the performance of :its cutting functions, the inner guard portion 17 being retainedin such position by a the binding action resulting from the uightening of the clamp screw 19.

When, however, the slicing machine is idle, thereleasing of the said clamp screw 19 permits its knurled knob to be employed as a handle by which the inner guide portion17 may be made to slide longitudinally within and to be extended from the outer (and fixed) guide portion 15; such extension carrying the inner guard 17 around the operating part of the peripheral knife edge to the desired extent; which is determined by the clamp screw 19 reaching the end of the travel permitted by the length of the slot 18. Insuch position the said inner guard portion'may be lockedby the tight- .ening of the binding screw 19; thus affording a temporary protection for the exposed portion of the knife edge, and one of a type which maybe in turn readily removed, as by the simple process of loosening the bind- -ing screw 19, and by means of the knob thereof, causing the inner guard portion to be withdrawn from its extended position over the knifeedge and to become telescoped within the said outer guard portion. While tubingof circular cross section is preferably employed in the construction of the outer and inner portions of my knife guard, said portions may be constructed of tubing of various cross sectionalforms, and of material other than tubing, but properly the equivalent thereof when employed in the manner hereinabove described.

Having described my invention what I claim anddesire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. A knife guard for a'slicing machine knife of the type of a disc having a peripheral cutting edge, comprising afixed portion, a movable portion slidably mounted within said fixed portion in a telescoping relation therewith and with capacity for longitudinal extension therefrom, both said portions be ing arranged in their telescoped relation to enclose and coversaid peripheral edge along the inoperative portion of said knife, and the movable portion being arranged when extended from said fixed portion to enclose and cover said peripheral edge along the portion of the knife which is used in cut ting when the slicing machine is operative.

2. A knife edge fora circular cutting V knife'or the like having a peripheral cutting edge, comprising a fixed portion and a movable portion slidably mounted therein, both said portions being curved and'positioned substantially concentrically with said knife edge, said movable portion being arranged to freely telescope within said outer portion or to be extended therefrom, both said portions being provided with-longitudinal slots permitting said knife'edge to be entered into the interior of both thereof, said outer portion being so located as to permanently enclose the inoperative portion of the knife,

and the movable portion being arranged when extended from said outer portion to enclose and cover said peripheral edge along the portion thereof employed for cutting when the machine is operating.

3. A knife guard for a slicing machine knife in the form of a disc having a peripheral cut' ting edge, comprising a tubular outer portion curved concentrically with said peripheral edge and an inner tubular portion adapted to fit within said outer portion and longitudinally slotted to-permit said knife edge to be entered within and enclosed thereby, said outer portion being so located as to permanently enclose the inoperative portion of the knife, and the inner portion being arranged when extended from said outer portion to enclose and cover said peripheral edge along the portion thereof utilized forcutting when the machine is opcrating. i

ARTHUR M. QUINTON' 

